Fifty miles northwest of Luoyang, there is a mountain called Gucheng Mountain.

There is a newly built Taoist temple on the mountain, named: Taiping Sect

Since Liu Hong summoned the three Zhang brothers last year, in addition to having Lü Qiang allocate some money and choosing this place to build the Taoist temple of the Taiping Sect, he also sent spies from the Investigation Bureau to monitor the three Zhang brothers.

Only after confirming that the three brothers Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liang, and Zhang Bao were spreading their teachings entirely according to the "new Taoist ideas" he had devised, did Liu Hong feel relieved.

Well, for thousands of years, this nation's ideology has remained quite unique.

They are neither idealists nor materialists, but rather self-centered.

To put it simply, when a dream comes true, people might not be able to resist saying: Thank you, Bodhisattva, thank you, Laozi.

When things don't go as planned, people will say: "God, are you trying to mess with me?"

Therefore, whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, there are believers, but they are still a minority. Most people who worship Buddha or seek Taoism are just seeking comfort after doing something wrong, or they are just people who have truly seen through the illusions of the world.

The reason Zhang Jiao was able to launch the Yellow Turban Rebellion in history was simply because he won the hearts of the people by doing good deeds, giving alms, and healing the sick.

Of the Yellow Turban followers, how many truly believe in the so-called Taiyi God?

Moreover, the Taiping Sect is now developing in accordance with Liu Hong's expectations.

The dojo only has some simple murals and portraits, and it has utter contempt for external things such as gilding and casting bronze statues.

They also advocated filial piety and strongly promoted the idea that one's body and hair are gifts from one's parents.

The disciples and believers in the temple are required to abide by the law, be pragmatic, do good deeds, and have a heart that cares for the public good.

He went further and stated that those natural disasters were created by enemies of Heaven who were opposing the emperor and all the people under Heaven, and were not punishments imposed by Heaven.

It also calls on people to take the initiative to face and overcome those disasters.

Don't be like some people who shut themselves off and stay out of trouble whenever something happens.

All of these factors contributed to Liu Hong's decision to allow the Taiping Religion to develop freely.

Of course, Liu Hong also instructed Song Dian to send a eunuch and several eunuchs to oversee the daily affairs of the Taiping Sect, so as to prevent them from getting out of his control.

After nearly a year of hard work and philanthropy by the three brothers, the Taiping Sect has now taken shape, with more than 500 disciples and about 50,000 lay believers.

However, most of the believers were residents of Luoyang City. They believed that the emperor was a reincarnation of a god who gave them a good life, and thus they embraced the Taiping Church out of love for the emperor.

Today, the number of believers visiting the Taiping Sect daily to seek knowledge and guidance is endless, and its popularity has far surpassed that of several temples in Luoyang.

"The Taiping Cult has grown really fast, it has so many people!"

Standing before the gates of the Taiping Sect, Jian Shuo, who had come in a carriage to deliver the imperial edict, couldn't help but admire the crowds coming and going.

A young eunuch who had come along laughed and said:

“Attendant Jian, you’ve only been back for a short time and have been by His Majesty’s side all this time. You don’t know this, but the Taiping Sect reveres His Majesty as their master. With His Majesty’s support, it’s hard for them not to expand!”

"I see!"

Jian Shuo nodded. He had also heard about the Taiping Cult, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.

However, Jian Shuo was quite surprised to find that the Taiping Cult was backed by the Emperor.

"Let's hurry up and get up there!"

Jian Shuo glanced at the not-so-high earthen hill, smiled slightly, and walked towards the top of the hill as he spoke, with the young eunuch and several Imperial Guard soldiers following closely behind.

The people who came to pay their respects only glanced at Jian Shuo and his entourage with curiosity, without showing any particular surprise.

Clearly, the common people had seen many officials and soldiers come to the Taiping Sect.

Jian Shuo and the others walked up the stone steps, constantly looking around as they went.

Unlike other mountain gates, everywhere you look, where there is soil, is planted with all kinds of crops, fruit trees, and medicinal herbs.

It can be said that the surrounding land has been developed to the extreme, with almost no wasteland or useless plants.

"Whose land belongs to those people?"

Looking at the vast expanse of developed land around him, Jian Shuo couldn't help but ask curiously.

The eunuch laughed and said, "These were all cultivated by the Taoist masters of the Taiping Sect themselves!"

"Oh? Monks farm their own land?"

Looking at the crops around him that were beginning to turn yellow, Jian Shuo couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yes, the Taoists of the Taiping Sect have always believed in His Majesty's idea of ​​self-reliance. Apart from donations from wealthy people, most of their food and other supplies are produced by themselves, and they also pay taxes according to the court's tax system!"

Moreover, these Taoist priests are not actually monks; they are merely cultivating their minds. They do not adhere to the precepts of "monks and nuns," and they even encourage their disciples and followers to experience the world, including eating meat, drinking alcohol, marrying, and having children!

The young eunuch also carefully explained to Jian Shuo some of the things about the Taiping Sect!

As they spoke, the group soon arrived at the entrance of the Taiping Sect's Taoist temple.

The main gate of the dojo was wide open, and many people were coming and going.

Before entering the dojo, people would bow and chant incantations.

Jian Shuo looked around and found that there were more than a dozen tables arranged on the left side of the door, with various fruits, grains, cloth, salt and other supplies on them.

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